Lara Croft Deserves Better Than Amazon’s Lazy, Sexist Joke
Topics: Tomb Raider, Amazon, TV And Film
Featured Image Credit: Crystal Dynamics
Topics: Tomb Raider, Amazon, TV And Film
Amazon Prime Video has given us a first look at Sophie Turner as live-action Lara Croft in their upcoming series, and, despite what I’m about to say, I couldn’t be more hyped.
Lara Croft, currently in production, is an adaptation of the classic video game franchise we all know and love, for better or worse. Often at the centre of the storm of ‘woke PC censorship’ in gaming, Lara Croft has gone from pointy polygon diva, to a more ‘badass, rugged’ version of femininity more accepted in 2026.
The fact I even hesitated to write this - worried about being “that woke girl” who starts fights in gaming spaces, in my first week no less, pretty much proves why I need to. Yes, this is my first feature.
Look, we’ve got to have a respectful chat about that Amazon Prime Video announcement copy. How sick does she look?! A whole new generation of gamers are about to have their gay awakening with Lara Croft, the way it should be.
“Get your artifacts out” is to me, very obviously a play on the sexist heckle “get your t*ts out”.
Advert
Am I overthinking things? Well, yes. If we take it in isolation.
But, if we use our brains, let’s think about why the social team immediately leapt to a term used to intimidate and heckle women. For Lara Croft in 2026, it feels weirdly reductive?
It’s that instant association that perpetrates sexist stereotypes against women, and all too often a precursor to them facing real-life harm. Don’t roll your eyes at me, it’s uncomfortable, but a critical take.
I’m told Lara Croft is an amazing example of female representation in games, but her legacy is always reduced to her looks.
Would Lara Croft care about some silly words on a social post? No, she’s a video game character. But that lazy association does actually hurt women. You might think ‘oh it’s just some words snowflake, it means nothing, get over yourself.’
This isn’t about cancelling a joke or scolding a social team. It’s about noticing patterns we’re so used to we barely clock them anymore.
Look, it’s funny! I’m not denying that, I even chuckled. I don’t think it was intentional, I’m not calling to cancel the show, I’m not calling the social team sexist. But it made me pause.
Obviously, women in gaming spaces belong.
You know that, I know that. I can take a joke. But hiding behind the defense of “it’s just a joke” is usually where these conversations stall.
Words aren’t neutral, I made a career out of that. They come from a culture of intimidation - one that follows women from pubs to stadiums to comment sections (I’m sure this one will be completely fine and normal over on Facebook), and all too often into real-life harassment.
Lara Croft is constantly held up as a triumph of female representation, yet her legacy is still flattened into how she looks. Even when she’s written as brilliant, resourceful, and fearless, the framing so often slides back to her body. That contradiction is the problem.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge - creator, writer, executive producer, co-showrunner - is someone who has built a career on interrogating womanhood with wit, mess, and depth. I love Fleabag, as a fellow rat of a human, with its complex and nuanced take on womanhood. Lara Croft deserves the same care. And frankly, so do the women watching.
Does one social post mean I think we won’t get that? Of course not.
We can be excited. We can be h*rny. We can laugh. But we can also ask for better - especially when Lara Croft has spent decades needlessly proving she deserves a bit of respect.